Garth Brooks Covers George Strait at Opening Night of Rodeo Houston

Rodeo Houston just got started on Wednesday (Feb. 27). But its opening musical number—just one guy you may have heard of, Garth Brooks—set the bar pretty high for the entire event to live up to.

Brooks hasn't played the event since 1993. That's a long time. And, he played his return to the event on a brand-new, star-shaped rotating stage, that marks the show's first upgrade in 31 years.

However, all of this was overshadowed by Brooks' performance itself, which included a wonderfully unexpected tribute to one of Texas' own—a rollicking cover of George Strait's 1985 single, "The Fireman."

Brooks also treated the crowd to some of his most beloved hits, including "The Thunder Rolls," "Friends in Low Places," and "The Dance."

Unfortunately, some fans were not able to take in Brooks' performance due to longer than expected wait times in line. The Rodeo attributed this to visitors getting in line for the concert earlier than expected, resulting in a bit of a log jam.

"Last night was very regrettable. We are embarrassed by it, to tell you the truth, and we take full ownership," Joel Cowley, the president and CEO of Rodeo Houston, told local news, adding that they will double the number of ticket scanners and evaluate the stadium opening time to make sure all will be well for the rest of the shows.

Brooks will be playing the final night of RodeoHouston on Mar. 18, so fans will have another chance to catch his act (hopefully with all logistics ironed out).